PANWAVES STEELBAND (Cambridge, Ontario. CANADA)

Ask anyone in Cambridge ( Ontario, Canada ) about steelband music and they will all tell you, Panwaves steelband is “our pride and joy”

This steelband was established in 1989 by Clyde Dookie in the little community village of Hespeler, now part of the City of Cambridge. When it started, there were only 5 members, all of them, part of the Dookie family. There was Clyde, his daughter Erica and his 3 sons and his loving wife, Rose who still to this date, takes videos of every function that the band plays at. Although the bloodline is still a huge part of today’s Panwaves, shows now consist of members from Detroit, Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo and Trinidad.

In 2002, Clyde Dookie was awarded the prestigious Bernice Adams award. The band, in keeping with the local community spirit, has won first place for music in the Cambridge Santa Clause parades in 1997, 1999 and 2000. It also won first place in the Hespeler parade in 1991 and 1994 and brought home first place in the Sarnia Kinsmen parade in 2001. But don't think for one minute that all the music is played for Santa Clause parades, every year since 1996, Panwaves has represented Cambridge in the annual Caribana parade in Toronto.

Of the 34 bands that attend this event, Panwaves is the only band from outside the Toronto area that plays in the Caribana event One of the proudest moments for the band was winning the Trinidad and Tobago Republic Day Award for developing an arts and culture centre in Canada for the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. They have also played at numerous festivals and was picked to play the Canadian national anthem at the opening of the Caribana parade in 1997.

Dookie was born in Trinidad , grew up in Morvant and has been a resident of Cambridge since 1971. Panwaves was preceded by the Spreeland Steel Orchestra that he formed in the late 70's.

His brother, Winston Dookie is a player, arranger, helper and supporter of the Ebonites Steelband in Trinidad and he still goes to Trinidad on a yearly basis to be with the band. So if you're ever in the Cambridge area and you hear the sound of a sweet pan, be sure to drop by and say hello, or if you're coming up to Toronto for the Caribana this year and you see the " Panwaves" banner in the air, just jump in the band and enjoy the sweet sounds of the steelband music.

by Jerry Bain, member of Pan Waves  (August 2005)

Contacts:
Clyde Dookie at cdookie@sympatico.ca
Jerry Bain at jaybee_tnt@hotmail.com